For $30, you can turn any wall outlet into a Wi-Fi “smart” plug

Nope, you don’t have to do anything fancy—or expensive—to control your living room lights with your iPhone or Android phone. Just plug the Wemo Mini Smart Plug (on sale for $30) into any power socket, then (with the help of a free mobile app) connect the plug to your Wi-Fi network.

Once that’s done, you’ll be able to control whatever’s plugged into the smart plug—a lamp, a fan, or anything else—using your phone. You can also program the plug to turn on and off on a schedule, while an “away” mode toggles the power randomly to fool would-be burglars. Got an Amazon Echo? If so, you can even control the Wemo smart plug with your voice.